Time to bend an ear, Mr Kenny - Transatlantic route for Cork

EARLIER this year Taoiseach Enda Kenney promised that if his intervention were needed to secure transatlantic flights for Cork Airport then he would not be found wanting. 

High-level intervention is now needed as the process, now more than two years down the road, appears to have run into the sand. An early summer launch date for a Cork to Boston flight was deferred.

Mr Kenny will get his opportunity to try to untangle the red tape when he visits the White House to mark St Patrick’s Day later this week. Though there have been allegations about protectionism, hostile union intervention, and opposition from American carriers, the route would be a boost for the south of Ireland and contribute significantly to building foundations for a real and sustained economic growth.

The airport says it is waiting to see Norwegian Air International’s foreign permit from the US Department of Transportation before the service can begin but the matter is in arbitration between the EU and US authorities under the Open Skies agreement.

Norwegian Air Shuttle will offer direct flights between Paris and America this summer, and has suggested that if the Cork-Boston route is successful, a direct route to New York may well follow.

This is a prize worth securing — over to you Mr Kenny, bend that ear on Thursday!